It's Just a FAYZ
by Foniko
Summary: When Nico di Angelo receives a special mission from his father, he immediately Shadow Travels to the location. Where is it? Perdido Beach. He zaps himself right into the second month of the FAYZ. Darkness lingers in the small town... he can feel it. And it seems to want him. A new war is waging. And it just may be one that he cannot win...
1. Welcome To The FAYZ

"It is in your interests not to fail me, child."

"Yes, father," Nico stood, nodding to the dark-clad figure in the enormous throne in front of him. Spinning on his heel, he began to make his way towards the door to the throne room. He would not fail his father again… not after last time.

As he walked briskly past the fields of punishment, souls moaned for him to rescue them in their long, wispy howls. He ignored them coldly.

It was not his place.

He reached into his jacket and wrapped his numb fingers reassuringly around his multiple daggers and poisons. He now poisoned each blade he owned. And there was always that bottle to the side for him. He knew the spare weapons would come in use. His opponent was a dark, powerful creature, his father had said.

Well Nico was dark and powerful, too.

Sam Temple was not in the mood to argue with Astrid. So far, two kids had set their house on fire, one had claimed he had seen the boogieman, another was looking for her lost puppy, and Orc was demanding he have more beer.

It was still early, before Sam normally would have eaten lunch. But the FAYZ was not normal, and there was little lunch to be eaten.

About a month ago, the solid, dome-like wall had appeared around Perdido Beach, poofing everyone older than fifteen outside… or somewhere. Nobody knew where the adults went. There was little food left and babies and small children were not faring well without their parents around.

And Sam knew Caine was just waiting for another chance to attack.

"You can't just keep paying Orc with beer!" Astrid said for the one hundredth time. "He's g-"

She was interrupted with a loud clang and several screams from outside in the Plaza.

He leapt up from his chair, partly because of the commotion, and partly because it gave him a chance to escape yet another migraine-inducing rant from Astrid. He was out the door in a heartbeat.

A giant trash truck sized boar was smashing its hooves clean through asphalt and was rearing his massive head into cars and the sides of buildings. Huge black wings unfurled from its back and with an ear splitting shriek, it pulled its fat body into the air. Sam was surprised it could actually get two feet off the ground.

It flew clean through an office building, causing the three floors above it to crumble down onto the ground, some pieces narrowly missing screaming kids.

Sam's hands lit up with hot, green energy. Blasts repeatedly smashed into the pig's thick hide, but the animal did not seem to take notice. He aimed the next bolt carefully, and its blaze hit the pig straight in the eye. It screamed and folded its wings, diving towards the ground. Its wings unfurled, however, right before it hit the road and pulled up, clothes lining Sam in the process, who flew ten feet into a broken car. The pig turned around, wings flat against its back. The hog's feet were planted firmly on the ground and its head lowered. It sprinted towards Sam, who had no time to get out of the way.

"SAM! MOVE!" Astrid screamed.

Well, no duhr, Captain Obvious.

Right before the pig rammed into him, a kid seemed to poof in front of him out of thin air. He was holding a short black sword with jagged edges that dripped with something thick and green that burned into the cement. The sword swung forward and caught the pig on the snout, creating a deep gash. The hog reared back with a squeal and smashed its hooves back down. The wound on its nose began to fester and pop like heating popcorn.

Black flames shot from his palms and lashed out, wrapping around the pig and causing it to squirm backwards, nearly crushing several kids in the process. The flames… serpents… whatever they were retreated and he drove the midnight sword into the ground.

"Serve me," he hissed, wrenching the sword back. A large crack spread across the square, a black gaping hole. By now, kids were smart enough not to stay and watch and were all safely away from whatever the pig thing was.

A skeletal hand slowly emerged, followed by an arm, then a head, and then a whole skeleton. It was dressed in a tattered, old army suit covered in dirt. It brushed down its shirt like it would help much and saluted to Dark Boy (that was what Sam decided to call him, for he was covered head to toe in black). Dark Boy pointed towards the hog, who had just remembered it could fly and was soaring over the crack in the ground.

"Distract it," he said roughly. Sam got the feeling he had done this before.

The skeleton nodded in response and picked up large pieces of rubble from the collapsed office building, and began chucking them in the air, some hitting the boar, some not.

The boar let out a shriek, forgetting about Dark Boy and soared higher, no doubt getting ready for another assault. But, as it neared its arc, a black shadow passed over it, suddenly wrapping around it like a net and dragged it to the ground. It smashed hard enough into the pavement that it knocked Sam, who had started to regain his footing, back onto the ground.

A loud screech pierced the air as the short black sword was thrust right through one of the boar's wings. It let out another bellow and was fifty feet above the ground in seconds. Sam realized in horror that Dark Boy was hanging behind it, gripping tightly onto his sword. He was yelling something, but Sam couldn't quite understand it. It sounded like "My cheese ate Bob!" which Sam knew couldn't be right.

The pig's massive wings beat heavily and it was soon flying out of his sight.

Sam stood frozen. A giant pig just randomly flew away with a kid. Should he be worried? Yes. Yes, he probably should be. Astrid was suddenly standing next to him, looking over rooftops.

"How did we just lose a giant, flying mutant?" Sam hesitantly asked, starting to pick his way through the mess of the square. As if it weren't torn up enough already.

"Maybe it has a cloaking power, like Bug?" she suggested, struggling to keep up.

"No, it didn't just disappear. It flew away." Sam said with a huff. "Edilio! We need to get a search going. Find that kid and bring him back here."

Edilio nodded. "Anthony, Margret, Josh, get over here!" he shouted to three kids sneaking back over. "Alright," he said when they came over, "You each take a party of…" he seemed to be doing numbers in his head. "Five. Each take parties of five and search the town for that kid. Don't go outside of town… yet. If you see that pig again, report back to us."

Something clattered off to the side of the square and Sam turned around. The skeleton soldier was repeatedly running into the wall of the hardware store. _Smack! Smack! Smack! _It turned around with a stupid grin on its face and eyed Sam cautiously. An odd scraping sound came from its jaw as it moved back and forth, apparently attempting to speak.

Sam took a step towards it. Then another and another until he was standing right in front of it. The skeleton tipped it head. With another wild grin, the skull tipped forward. Sam let out a shocked cry as the skull landed in his hands. He jerked his hands back and the head flew into the air. It bounced between his hands for a moment and then landed in Astrid's. It reminded him of a sick game of _Hot Potato_.

The skeleton snatched back its head, now frowning. He shook his finger at Sam as if to say "_Now, sunny, we don't go and play with other people's heads, now do we?" _and then collapsed into a pile of bones at his feet.

Nico's stomach churned uneasily when he looked down. The ground was far below him, swaying with each beat of the giant sow's wings. His fingers gripped his sword so tightly his knuckles were white. He had never really liked heights. Now he couldn't blame Thalia for having a phobia of them. His eyes squeezed shut and he muttered under his breath several foul words that would have given Dionysus a run for his money. Oh, that guy had a _dirty_ mouth! Even though he didn't spend very much time at Camp Half-Blood, he knew the wine god well enough.

The Clazmonian Sow suddenly bellowed and swung to the side, its wing wrenching back. Nico sighed as his sword ripped free of the feathers and he plummeted towards the ground. _Oh gee, how did I see this coming? _He thought, spinning through the air.

Agony exploded through him as he hit the hard packed dirt below. The wind rushed from his lungs and he struggled to pull in a breath of air. Spots danced in his vision and loud ringing screamed in his ears. He could feel blood bubble in the back of his throat.

He tried to sit up, but his attempts proved fruitless. Scratch that. He couldn't move at all. His heavy muscles refused to listen. He growled, as if it would fix the damn situation he was in.

He heard heavy footfalls nearby and tried to turn his head. It shifted slightly, but sent waves of pain rolling down his spine. He winced. Darkness began to cloud his vision. A chill settled deep in his chest and he felt his eyes closing.

Well damn. That happened fast.

Right before he let his eyelids slide closed, a girl's face appeared above him. He had to admit she was pretty. Maybe beautiful. She had soft brown eyes and slightly tanned skin. Long black hair framed her face.

And everything went dark… darker than Hades's underpants.

**Author's Note**

**MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Okay, now that my evil laugh is out of the way... what do you think?! Remember, peoples, this is my VERY FIRST fanfiction! I know it probably sux! Sorry! I do accept criticism if you personally think it will make my story better!**

**I am going to try to start updating once a week, but each update might be a little late. Middle school is my scape goat for now, lol! Once the story gets rolling, I might try to update twice or three times a week! :)**

**Soooorry this is so long! Ugh, I am boring myself! BYE BYE READERS!**

** ~Foniko**


	2. A Giant Dude

**Okay, sorry about the page break mishaps in the last chapter. I forgot that Fanfiction wouldn't allow some symbols. I'll fix that…**

**Nic-n'-Nyx: Hahahaha! "About as likely as Drake getting down on one knee and presenting Sam with a diamond ring." that's great! And … Woah. THAT was a long review. But… Woah. I have A LOT of mistakes to correct. I will try to do better, but, hey, I'm a lazy American…**

**That one Badger: Thank you so much for your review! I was grinning for the rest of the night! I'm glad you'll keep reading! :D**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the Percy Jackson characters or Gone characters… If I did, the books would not be nearly as good as they are! ;) (Sorry for forgetting these in the last chapter!)**

**ON WITH THE STORY!**

…..

Nico's head flew off of the pillow as he woke from the dream. He realized he was breathing heavily and sweating. It didn't surprise him. Every time he had the dream, the results were the same. He pulled the blanket tighter around him and let out a shaky breath.

Wait a second.

Pillow? Blanket?

The cushions from the couch flung to the floor as he grappled for his sword. Once the familiar weight was comfortable in his hands, his head cleared slightly from the panic and he glanced cautiously around the room.

Fading pink wall paper was peeling off the walls, drooping forlornly towards spotted and stained carpet. He had been sleeping on a flower printed couch tucked away in the corner of the room, facing a big, box-like television.

Every muscle tense with suspense, he crept forward towards an empty doorway and found himself in a rather messy kitchen. Cabinet doors were flung open, the table on its side, leaning against the wall. Raising an eyebrow, he continued to search the rest of the house, ready for anything… including crazy grandmas with red eyes trying to rip his head free of his shoulders (and, yes, he had met them before).

Halfway back down the stairs, a flood of memories swept back through him from the day before and he froze. He couldn't remember taking any ambrosia or nectar, and he didn't think he could still be walking around with a broken spine... Apollo, maybe?

He decided to Iris Message Camp, even though he was almost never there. It couldn't hurt to see how his allies were doing, and besides, they might have had something to do with his speedy recovery. Using the spraying nozzle attached to the sink in the ruined kitchen, he made a thin mist and threw in a drachma. Slowly, a grainy image spread across the rainbow. The strawberry fields were ablaze with flickering orange and purple flames. Thick, inky black smoke blotted out the stormy gray clouds over head. He could hear rain pouring down in torrents. As lightning flashed across the sky, he could see demigods and monsters locked in battle. With a furious roar, a huge khalkotauroi rammed its thick bronze head into several campers, who were flung to the side.

"Dammit!" Nico shouted, flinging his arm through the fragile connection. It vaporized before his eyes, leaving the floor slick. He grabbed carelessly at the shadows and filled his mind with pictures of Camp Half Blood. As he ran forward in the darkness, he could feel something grabbing at him, pulling him back towards the foggy dome called Perdido beach. He shuddered and continued on.

As he suddenly emerged at Camp, only a few demigods noticed his appearance. They cheered, and then continued to dodge spear points and sword edges. Nico drew his own sword and with a battle cry, ran into the chaotic mob. He hacked through several monsters, using blade and shadow. Within just ten minutes, he was coated with golden dust and his sword arm ached.

"Chris!" he shouted as the tall dude ran past him with a spear held high in his right hand, a huge shield in his left. Nico barely recognized him due to the lack of light, thick smoke and rain-soaked hair plastered over his eyes.

Chris wheeled around. "Nico, man! I thought Hades sent you to that Perdido Beach catastrophe thing!" he raised his shield just in time to stop a wall of arrows.

"He did." Nico said bluntly. "How did they get in here?!"

"They seem to have a new master. And a powerful one, too. They just ran right through the barrier."

Nico glared at the mass of writhing monsters and demigods around him. They looked like a giant, pulsing wall. "I've had enough of this." he growled. "Chris, I want to try something, but I need your help." he continued when he got several nods from his almost-friend. "I'm going to conjure the shadows to scare them off, but I'll be entirely vulnerable when I do it, so I need you to get rid of any monsters that come to close."

Chris grinned. "Awesome. Ready to make some bastards piss themselves?"

The corner of Nico's lip twitched. "Always am."

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, pulling at the shadows magic. He frowned when he felt something blocking him. Pushing harder and deeper, he grasped at the power he was so used to using. But the invisible force pushed back with equal pressure. He continued to struggle when the wall vanished and he plunged deep into the magic. Spreading his hands, he thought up a daunting image. With a gasp, he released the magic and the figure sprang to life on the field in front of him.

It was at least thirty feet tall, and had the basic form of a person, but there was no detail, for he was entirely black. He held a long black sword the size of a bus and wore a horned black helm. Nico imagined a deep voice and opened his mouth. The image in front of him did the same. With a slight grin, Nico began muttering words which the tall man made of shadows before him boomed.

"Minions! Fall back! This was not what I had in mind!" it shouted. Instantly, the monsters switched their attention to Nico's armored replica. A frightful look spread across their faces and a small dog like creature actually let out a little wail before it was shut up by a Cyclops.

"Fall back, I tell you! Go! Get out of here before I change my mind to spare you!" Nico forced the sword into a large arc that wiped out a large section of the army. He sighed with relief as the monsters began to move in one big mass. He couldn't hold the magic much longer. His arms were shaking and sweat beaded his brow.

Monsters at the edge of the massive group were felled by arrows from the Apollo cabin and thrown spears from the Ares. With a loud grunt, Nico dropped his hold on the magic. The tall figure swirled away and the army slowed slightly, but continued to rush along when they realized the campers were still firing.

With a shudder, Nico leaned against a cabin wall. _Dang,_ he was tired. He watched as campers cheered and roared with happiness as the last monster fell to the ground with Kody's arrow sticking out of its back. It crumbled to dust and blew away.

He turned as he heard the clapping of Chiron's hooves behind him. The old centaur was smiling, although he did not look very happy.

"Nico, dear boy, you have won us our victory tonight. I was thinking-" he held up his hand as Nico moved to interrupt, "that you would come back for provisions because it seems you are going to be in that town for quite some time."

Nico fumbled to catch the overstuffed back-pack that landed in his hands. "Thank you sir. I really must leave now, though." he could feel the invisible force once again dragging him back towards Perdido Beach.

"Be careful." Chiron added with a smile. And he disappeared with the swirl of the shadows.

**Authors Note:**

***Evil smile* I bet you can't guess who the new master iiiiis!**

**Nico: HELP! SHE'S LOCKED ME IN HER FANFIC!**

**Me: Ooooh, don't be… silly! *Pushes Nico away, grinning* See you guys next week!**


	3. Little Pete

**Hey guys, I know I was probably supposed to update yesterday, but, meh, I got lazy and had some Batman movies recorded! Sorry about that! I will try to be on time from now on!**

**OH! I am going to Photoshop a cover for this! I will try to have it done by Christmas, but no promises!**

**Disclaimer: You already KNOW that I do not own any Gone characters or Percy Jackson and the Olympians characters. Call off your lawyer.**

…..

He hefted the gun slightly in his left hand and turned to his tiny militia. They shuffled their feet and cast bored glances around the square.

He sighed. "Look, guys," one or two cast their glazed eyes on him. "this dude we're supposed to find… he apparently suddenly poofed right into the FAYZ." They snapped to attention and stared curiously at him. "Sam wants to know how he did it, and that's why we're going after him, so please just _try _to pay attention?"

After a small, tense silence, one kid half-heartedly raised his hand. "Are we going to be paid?"

Anthony ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I don't know! I would think so, but, still, can't you guys see how important this is?!"

A few heads bobbed and nodded in response. Others simply walked away.

Anthony didn't bother to hide his scowl of disapproval. _Now_ he could understand why Sam was always so frustrated with these kids. They had _no _self motivation, whatsoever. They would much rather depend on everyone else and watch them fail than try and get to work themselves.

He counted the number of kids still surrounding him. There was only four. He knew Edilio had said only five, but he had gone ahead and rounded up as many as he could, most of which were now heading back to their homes.

"You two," he began, diving right into orders. "go down and search Ocean Boulevard. And you two," he turned to the other pair. "I want you to check Eastern Avenue. I'll be looking on Fourth Avenue if you need to report back to me." He didn't really like going commando. He wasn't the take-charge-and-get-it-done type of guy. But, if his boss told him to do it, he'd do it.

…..

Nico reappeared in the kitchen, which was now flooded with icy water. He grimaced and sloshed towards the living room, which was relatively dry, and carefully set the bag Chiron gave him on the couch. He unzipped it and began setting its contents neatly in a line on the small coffee table in front of him.

He pulled out a spare set of clothes, several bottles and baggies of ambrosia and nectar, and a bulky first aid kit. His fingers brushed the bottom of the bag and whispered against something hard and metal. He pulled it out warily. If it was metal, it meant it was from Leo. If it was from Leo, it meant it liked to explode in your face.

In his hands was a black, metallic belt. It was full of small compartments, and it looked like it would hold a lot, even though it was fairly small itself. It sort of reminded him of Batman's belt.

He removed his sheath and snapped on the belt. It locked with a small whirr. Sliding his sword into the built in sheath, he stepped to the left and then the right, aware that the belt was impossibly light. He pulled open a metal zipper on one of the compartments and smiled. Open. Closed. Open. Closed. Open- what was he doing? His smile slipped and he sullenly closed the pocket with one last _ziiiiiiiiiip!_

He spent a while moving his many daggers and small darts into the belt, a bit frustrated every time something didn't fit perfect. Standing up, he admired his handy work. The belt itself was no heavier than before, yet his jacket was so much lighter. He made sure the belt was secure before leaping into a flurry of strategic battle moves around the room, fighting off some invisible enemy.

He could feel someone's piercing eyes boring into him and whipped around. A flash of movement dove from the window to under the sill, where he could not see, but it was too late. His trained eyes caught the harsh glare of a gun and the swish of hair. He himself dropped low to avoid possible gunfire and shadow traveled to the gravel walk way out in the front. As soon as he rematerialized, he was bowled over. Jumping to his feet, he instinctively drew his sword and swiveled to face his attacker. He snorted and sheathed his weapon.

It was a kid, maybe a year younger than he. He looked like pretty much any other kid in this place. Shaggy brown hair and clothes that hung off of his too-thin frame. "Sa- Sam wants to talk to you." he said, steadying his wavering voice. Fear danced in his eyes and his stubborn chin trembled.

Nico sighed. "I figured as much." without waiting to see if the kid was following, he strode down the sidewalk towards the road labeled Pacific Boulevard. The younger teen followed in silence until he reached First Avenue.

"Sam's in kind of a bad mood since that mutant got away, an-" he stopped as Nico held up a hand.

"Mutant? You mean that giant pig with wings?"

"Well, yeah. By the way, I'm Anthony."

Nico nodded, half frowning. "That pig wasn't a _mutant._ It's the Clazmonian Sow. Killed by Theseus, resurrected in Tartarus." he was so used to not talking to anyone except the occasional half-blood that he momentarily forgot why this Anthony guy was staring at him as if his head had just exploded.

"Oh." he said, turning to face the road again. He now constantly glanced at Nico out of the corner of his eye as if he was insane, which was not a total lie.

As he made his way up the chipped marble steps to the town hall, he was aware of several kids staring at him from around the plaza. He ignored them. He was used to being stared at. And hated.

Anthony knocked quickly on a solid wooden door and turned and ran back down the hallway, throwing a fearful glance back at Nico. Maybe he'd have to try to smile once in a while when he was around other people…

The door swung open to reveal the guy who had nearly gotten smashed by the monstrous sow. He stood gaping for a moment before stepping back and going back inside the office, leaving the door open. Nico paused a moment then followed him into a large room occupied by a desk and slightly tattered, but plush, sofa. A tall blonde girl was patting down a tiny boy's hair as it spiked up in the front messily. A Hispanic dude was trying to jam batteries into a game system that the little kid was grabbing at.

"Who are you and why did you come in here? Do you know what you've brought on yourself?" the boy sat down with a huff in a chair.

"Well, I can be called Nico, Ghost King, Death Breath, or, if you perfer, Sunshine, though I really wouldn't recomend it unless you want to be walking around with no head." he smiled sweetly. "And, I came in here to save your . You're welcome."

Ugh. He knew he was being rude, but he couldn't help it. It was funny!

The other teen scowled. "You don't know what's in here. You are going to get yourself _killed!_"

Nico laughed softly. Then louder. Oh, the irony. He had faced immortal monsters, fought unkillable Titans and giants, yet this kid was concered because he was _trapped in a giant fishbowl. _

He faced all three and fingered the hilt of his sword. "That's what this is for."

...

Sam eyed the crazy kid in front of him, hiding his twinge of fear. This kid was insane. Like, deeply disturbed insane.

"Have you gotten access to any drugs late-" he was interrupted by a loud shriek. He turned and inwardly moaned. Little Pete was having another fit. he clapped his hands and screamed, rocking back and forth.

"The Darkness wants you!" he shouted. "I wont let it have you! No! No, no, NO!"

Nico's eyes suddenly widened. He turned to Sam in alarm and opened his mouth to speak. A loud, choking noise erupted from his throat and he convulsed, collapsing on the floor.

"Astrid, get Petey out of here!" Sam shouted.

"The Darkness wants you! I won't let it have you!"

**Authors Note:**

**Me: OH MY GEEZE!**

**Nico: Can't you just let me go you creep?**

**Me: NEVER!**

**Nico: Well, since she's running around crazily, I guess this is up to me. Bye guys, see you next week... or will I? *Evil smile***


	4. The Mines

**Okay, I am too lazy to think of an excuse of why I did not update in forever... except that I have had a severe case of writers block...**

**Oh, and Nic-n'-Nyx... KIDNAP! THAT IS UNLAWFUL KIDNAP! WHERE ARE YOU KEEPING NICO?!**

**Now that that outburst is out of the way, it's time for disclaimers... What fun. I do not own any PJatO or Gone characters. Bye bye, lawyers and attorneys! **

...

Nico sighed impatiently. He sat on the couch in the former-mayor's-but-now-Sam's office. It had to have been at least an hour since Astrid took the little blonde kid out of the room, but so far, he had no leads to what the "Darkness" was.

Sam sat across from him, shifting through some list of images on a silvery laptop. Nico felt a slight twinge. Stupid twenty-first century crap. "Whatever the darkness it, we don't have it recorded on here," he said, shaking his head.

Nico snorted. "Figures. Just makes this job all the longer," he thought for a moment. "Pete referenced it with a capital 'D'. And if you haven't seen it..." he began slowly. He trailed off, waiting to see if Sam could put together two and two. The fifteen year old stared at him stupidly. Nico chuckled softly. This kid reminded him of Percy. His mind shifted back to his friends and memories of questing together wafted over him; he stared at the wall for a moment, but instead saw the glimmer of swords, the ugly face of countless monsters and the swivel and snap of the Hunter's bows firing upon the turned demigods that served Kronos in the Battle of Manhattan.

His head snapped around when he heard a loud boom and his hand automatically flew to the hilt of his sword. He relaxed slightly when he realized it was just the echo of the clap Sam used to try and get his attention. Mr. Snooty-Shorts looked down at him in concern. "Are you alright? You've been zoning out for the past three minutes."

"Hm? Yeah, fine. Just missing some old friends."

Sam was quiet for a moment, then out of the blue asked, "How old are you and when is your birthday, Nico?"

Nico felt his cheeks warm ever so slightly as he remembered that he did not know. "I... I'm actually not that sure."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "How do you not know your birthday?"

"Well, I didn't exactly grow up with my parents." He retorted, fighting the urge to leap to his feet. Instead, he slowly got up and faced the FAYZ's apparent leader, fuming silently.

"Oh. Sorry for asking then." Sam awkwardly shuffled to the side. He groaned when the door swung open. "What no-" but his complain was cut short when a slightly tanned, dark haired girl strolled into the room, followed by a big, stupidly grinning Labrador whose tongue hung out the side of his mouth and dripped slobber on the floor.

Nico glanced at her for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. He was absolutely positive he had seen her before. He fingered the hilt of his sword, running all possibilities through his head. It could be a monster hiding under the form of a human. Therefore, he should probably run it through with his sword. But, it could also be one of the Greek goddesses he had seen on Mount Olympus that just preferred the form of a teen.

She paused and glared at him. "Don't look at me like that," she snipped. Her eyes cold glint softened a bit. "Hey, I know you! You splatted right in front me and Patrick!"

Sam's eyes widened and he glanced between the two. "_Splatted?_"

"Splatted." she confirmed, hiding a smirk.

Nico scowled. "Oh. That's how I know you." he did not like being referred to as a Splat. That was Ethan's job.

"Anyway," she rolled her eyes, but not unkindly. More in a joke-like sarcastic kind of way. "I came here to tell you about a new kid in the FAYZ I saw yesterday, but it seems you already know about him. By the way, what happened to the square?"

Nico glanced at her in surprise. "You didn't see the Clazmonian Sow attack?"

"I don't like living near town to many kids with," she stuck out her lip, "a booboo on their finger."

Nico struggled to make sense of what she had just said and frowned slightly. Why would all the kids run to her to- Oh. He figured out how he had made his recovery. Well, now he felt dumb.

"Lana, that mine that you mentioned with the coyotes," Sam began and paused when Lana stiffened slightly. "the thing inside... Petey mentioned something about a 'Darkness' this morning. And I-"

"Think that the monster is it." she grumbled the finish.

"Exactly. And I need you to take us there."

Lana considered him for a moment, looking very skeptical. Finally, she sighed. "Fine. Go and screw with your mind, but don't expect me to go in there."

Sam nodded and headed towards the door, which swung open by the dude Sam had said was named Edilio. He turned and followed Sam, questioning where they were going.

"Down to the mines with Lana and Patrick." he explained curtly and climbed into a roofless, slightly dented car. The rest of the group followed after him except for Nico himself.

"No way I'm getting in that thing." he muttered uneasily. "I've had... really bad experiences with machines."

"Then how do you plan to get there?" Lana said, patting Patrick between the shoulders.

Nico sighed, eying the car. It couldn't be too bad if mortals rode in them everyday. Warily, he silently slipped over the edge and into the back seat next to Lana. Patrick barked gleefully and leaned forward to give the Ghost King a sloppy smooch. Nico grunted and leaned away, but it was to late. He sat with his eyes closed as Lana barely stiffled an outburst of laughing while drool slowly rode down his face in a nasty coat.

After a moment of listening to the others laugh, he let out a loud breath and began to wipe it away. He turned to her with a completely serious expression, and she stopped smiling, worried. "Lana... I think your dog is madly in love with me." The others continued to laugh and Lana let loose another brilliant smile and something stirred inside him and made him want to make her smile again. He smirked slightly. "Help me plan the wedding?"

The others roared with laughter. Nico had never made so many people laugh so loud before. He grinned himself, especially when Lana's laugh echoed through his ears.

The car slowly pulled out and rolled down the road at a creeping pace. Not that he had a problem with being slow. As the living deathtrap squeaked to a stop, he struggled to open the complex handle and decided on just jumping over the door, muttering foully under his breath. He turned and faced the mine. Right away, he could sense something very distorted... and familiar.

He shuffled forward, ignoring several warning calls from the others and was standing at the mouth of the cave, his hand resting on the wall. The sudden thought stuck him with no warning and he stumbled backwards, wrenching his hand away. There was no way...

...

Sam jumped as Nico leaped like a cat away from the opening maw of the mine. He half expected for the kid to turn around with some man-eating thing attacking him, but there was nothing he could see.

But Nico looked as if he had just woken up from a living nightmare. He was even paler than before, his eyes wide and hands trembling as he rushed back towards the group.

"What is it?" he asked urgently.

Nico shoved his hands in his pockets, hiding their violent spasms. "It's cold." he lied. It was at least seventy degrees.

"What is it?" he repeated.

Nico glared at him with his eyes guarded, but Sam could see so many emotions swirling wildly under his shield. Pain, remembrance, anger, sadness, and... a distorted sort of love and homesickness.

"It... it shouldn't be here." he said, averting his gaze. "That was destroyed years ago."

"_What was it?" _Sam said, losing patience.

Nico looked at him pleadingly. "That's my home. That's the Labyrinth."


	5. I'm More of A Cat Person

**Nic- Okay! I take it back! Just don't come after me with your screwdriver!**

**Nyx- Thank you for your review. It is much appreciated.**

**Every one else- Please review! You have left me forever alone!**

**Oh, and I am soooo sorry about such a late update! I had science fair, end of semester exams, and a bunch of other stuff causing me to stay away from fanfiction! **

...

"Okay, so you lived here... in a cave..." he asked slowly, eyes traveling to where the opening of the mine loomed maliciously, filled with dark shadows.  
_Why _in the _world _would someone want to live in there. If there was a lamp at least, then maybe...

Nico just scowled at him and turned away. "No... not really. It's... it's the labyrinth."

"Isn't that a word for some maze?" Edilio asked.

It took Nico such a long time to answer, Sam was worried he wouldn't at all. Finally, "... Well, yeah, but that's _the _Labyrinth; from Greek myth, you know?" Sam watched, his mind churning in a confused haze, as Nico turned and looked forlornly at the cave, then suddenly started towards it, feet pounding at an incredibly fast rate concerning the fact that he looked about as fit as a starved dog.

"Woah, what are you doing?! Don't go in there!" Lana shouted, taking a single step forward. Patrick barked wildly and started to whine as Nico disappeared deep inside the earth.

"I need to try something!" echoed out softly.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes as they waited for the teen to come back out. Even Patrick shut his trap and laid down at Lana's feet, refusing to budge. The air was still and completely silent, almost stifling. After ten or so minutes, Sam shifted on his feet.

"Alright, I'm going in after him.." he said. "But I won't go far enough for it to screw with me." he added as Lana began to protest angrily.

His feet refused to move at first. Lana had refused to describe much of anything when she had been forced inside both times. That could usually mean really good or really bad possibilities. But this time, it was definitely bad.

Loud, echoing thuds creepily repeated themselves in his ears as he made his way deeper into the dripping, hungry maw of the mine. Flickering movements danced at the corners of his vision, but when he turned nothing caught his sight.

A cold, unfamiliar tendril brushed against his mind, so slowly and chilling, he shivered and stopped himself from going any deeper.

_Come further..._

_Come..._

Mournful, drawn out words forced their way through his own mouth and he stumbled backwards in shock.

He had to get out of there.

"Nico?" he shouted. "Come back up here!"

Keeping himself well away from the slimy walls, he peered around the corner... and crashed backwards as something hard and solid rammed right into his face.

A rough hand hauled him into the air and he stared into the face of a very angry looking Nico. "Get out of here." He said gruffly, pushing him back towards the entrance.

Sam didn't budge. It was completely silent as he stared at Nico, who was growing more and more agitated by the second. "What's your deal?" he asked, wondering if the inhuman mind, Darkness, had gotten to him.

"If you want to live, then _GET OUT!_" Nico suddenly roared, causing Sam to jump and scramble towards the small dot of light down the tunnel. There was a loud crash behind him, and he whipped his head around and looked back over his shoulder and sprinted all the faster. Nico was repeatedly slamming the hilt of his sword into the face of... a giant dog? It was too dark to discern any details, but he thought he spotted a metallic gleam in it's fur.

The stone roof and walls around him were much to narrow for him to aim properly without risking hitting Nico. Maybe he could take the chance and Lana could tend to whatever damage... no freaking way that was going to happen. He decided it would be best to draw it outside. Lighting up his palm, he waved it in the air and let out a loud, rough bark of a shout. The mutt looked away from trying to snap the sword in two and fixed it's giant, glowing red eyes on his green light and let out and excited yip. The angry shine in his eyes evaporated as he bounded towards Sam with it's giant tail knocking stones on the ceiling loose as it thumped against the walls.

Turning direction, he continued towards the empty desert-ish field outside. Hot, steamy breath panted on the back of his neck and Sam gagged as the smell of rotten meat wafted up his nostrils.

Then, the unfamiliar mind wrenched his own out of his grasp and he stopped dead in his tracks and turned.

"No..." it whispered eerily and the giant puppy let out a booming whine and his ears drooped in response. "The other one..." the wispy words trailed off of his lips like cold fingers and he could once again feel himself shaking.

And he could feel the alien mind slip away as fast as it had come and he was left staring dumbly at the semi-truck sized, man eating dog before him, who once again growled and narrowed it's blood red eyes. It lowered its massive head once and snorted, blowing Sam's hair in an awkward toss on one side and sprayed him with a nasty goo that he hoped was just cave slime. It gave a small whimper and turned and barreled down the other way.

Once again, the sound of the fight resumed and this time a loud clang was followed by a short howl that made the whole cave shake and several rocks fall from the ceiling. Great. Now, not only did they have to lead the dog outside, they would have to get out before the whole cave collapsed, which was now a very likely possibility.

"Nico!" he shouted. "Take it outside!"

There was another loud crash of metal hitting metal and he was answered by a small, equally brief yell of "Mh hm!"

He rushed back outside where Lana and Edilio were still standing by the truck, far down the road, some how still completely oblivious. Sam frowned and crouched by the gaping mouth, waiting for Nico to appear so he could fire.

There was a long, silent pause, causing Sam to shift his weight from foot to foot. He was beginning to get worried. What if Nico di-

In a blur, Nico rushed out of the cave, a long, silver flash not far behind.

He let his fire loose and there was a loud _whoosh _as a jet of the emerald flame engulfed the giant puppy dog monster. With a jerk of the wrist, he let the massive inferno cease. Blinking several times, to adjust his vision, he got his first clear glimpse at their attacker. He recoiled in shock. It was not the slightly cute puppy he thought he had seen in the dark. It was thickly built with huge, solid, chunky muscles that bulged underneath a thin coat made of a sheet of glaring silver metal. It's legs, neck and head were huge in proportion to it's body, which was the size of a truck. Its small, beady red eyes glittered with malice, resting inside a skull the size of the car he had driven here in. It's thin layer of protective metal skin was now a dripping, molten mess; holes as big as Sam himself were scalded into it's body and face, revealing a complicatedly built frame overflowed with wires and thick metal rods.

It let out a loud, feral snarl, lunging towards Nico and Sam in a single bound and bowled them both over. Sam could feel his shoulder jam awkwardly into Nico's face, whose foot landed where the sun don't shine. With a loud grunt from both of them, they untangled themselves from their heap on the ground and made it to their feet as the puppy monster swiped its massive paw forward. Nico easily sidestepped it and set himself busy hacking at it with his sword.

Panting, Sam glanced over at the convertible where Lana and Edilio sat, talking casually. What was wrong with them? If they couldn't see it, which would be weird enough, then why couldn't they at least hear it?

He stumbled as the metal, tree-trunk sized tail nearly nailed him in the face. The overgrown lapdog seemed to have forgotten him in its haste to eat Nico, who was slashing at its muzzle so fast his sword was a blur. Even though his swordsmanship was incredibly impressive, he was being forced back at an increasing pace and he let out a cry of alarm when he backed into the wall of the rocky hill that the cave was nestled into.

A second eruption of green light blasted forward, turning the silver steel to a sickly poison jade. It thrummed with the pulse of his adrenaline and he seared his way through the puppy monsters right frontal shoulder which was the one closest and facing him.

The massive beast ignored him and clamped his jaws down on Nico's shoulder and upper arm, drawing out a pained shout; its grip was firm, but gentle as he lifted him in the air.

"Nico!" Sam screamed. "Get down!" which was a really dumb thing to shout, because, well, he obviously couldn't.

A loud clang sounded as his sword fell to the ground.


End file.
